Perhaps the most storied design in the bunch: Joset Harwig’s Bauhaus chess set from 1923. True to Bauhaus ideals, the pieces themselves were designed to show exactly how the piece moves–thus, the step in the Knight, the cross for the Bishop, the cube for the Rook, and the sphere for the Queen. A part of the MoMA’s permanent collection, you used to only be able to find them at auction, for insane prices:

In Japan, charcoal is a traditional air freshener. This one, designed by Kiyoshi Nishio, is made of bamboo charcoal and clay, with a honeycomb structure designed to maximize surface area, to better absorb odors:

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[Images courtesy of MoMA]

About the author

Cliff is director of product innovation at Fast Company, founding editor of Co.Design, and former design editor at both Fast Company and Wired.